Toxic Masculinity
by The Logical Fallacy
Summary: Part 2 of "Rainbow Connection" series. Jim and Steve had never gotten along. Understatement of the year. gay!Jim vs. Steve


**TRIGGER WARNING: Excessive use of the word "fag" is used by assholes in this fic. Said character does not represent anyone involved in the making of _Trollhunters_, _Tales from Arcadia_ or the writer of this fanfic.**

**I personally would never use it for its derogatory purposes, but if I'm going to be honest with you all, I find the word "faggot" funny. Again, not for the meaning behind the word, but from the way it sounds as you say it out-loud. _Faggot_. It's kind of like when Maude says "Vagina" on its own in _The Big Lebowski_. My inner four-year-old can't help but laugh at it.**

* * *

"So, good news, dude. My orthodontist says I'm almost done with my braces. Only four more years."

As Toby talked, Jim could not help but see poor Eli Pepperjack get stuffed into a locker. This wasn't anything new, but Jim's hearts couldn't help but go out to the poor kid, Steve smirking to his friends as he slammed the door shut.

"Okay. Nothing to see here."

"We can't just let him do that."

"Oh, yes, we can. If 'Psycho Steve's' terrorizing him, he's not terrorizing us. Jim? Jim! Oh no."

Jim had already turned and advanced on the blonde gorilla that called himself 'the one and only Steve.'

"Tell me again, dweeb-face," said Steve, his broad shoulders holding the locker keeping Eli closed, "tell me about the creatures and maybe I'll let you out!"

"Or you can let him out right now. I mean, you know, it would be nice."

Steve's jollies quickly soured into a heavy frown.

"'Nice' would be you minding your own business."

"Oh, hi, Jim," said Eli from the locker. Steve silenced him by hitting the locker door.

"You can have your boyfriend back when I'm done with him," said Steve. "So where were we? Oh, right, you were telling me about the monsters you saw this morning, with fangs and... what was it again?"

"Stone for skin! In the canal!"

Jim propped his bike against a support beam.

"Look, Steve, seriously, let him out."

Steve scowled, then he smirked.

"Eli, you're into all of this 'monster hunter' crap, right?"

_Oh, here we go._

"How would you like to have a face-to-face encounter with the 'Creature of Faggy Lake'?"

_And there it is._

Steve was always a butt-snack, throwing out verbal diarrhea at several passersby and strong-arming the "Eli's" of the world like he was the son of Biff Tannen or something. Of course when word got out that Jim was gay, Steve pounced on it like a cat with yarn. 'Fag' was his favorite, always inserting it into his dialect in some transparent manner whenever he addressed Jim or when Jim walked by within ear shot. When Jim first came out, it made him feel very self-conscious - like Steve was broadcasting some big secret of Jim's - but its been over a year and it has since lost its power over him, not that Steve noticed.

"Let him out Steve," said Jim, deciding not to humor him.

"Or what, 'Faggy Lake'? What are you gonna do? Click your heels back to Oz with Dorothy over there?"

"Hey," said Toby, both confused and offended.

Jim was kind of impressed. He didn't think that Steve knew enough about gay people to do a "Wizard of Oz" reference.

"Let him out Steve."

"That all you can say, fag-face?"

"Is that seriously all you have? You can only say that word before it loses all meaning."

"What word? 'Fag'? If you want me to stop saying it, then do something about it."

"Oh I don't mind. I was just thinking you were trying to tell me something. You know, about yourself."

Right as Jim finished his quip, Steve grabbed Jim by the front of his shirt and pinned him against the locker Eli was in.

"One more word out of you and it'll be your face," said Steve, brandishing his fist.

_Can't say I didn't see this coming._

"Okay," said Jim, "but just so you know, people like you end up working for people like Eli in 20 years, so you're in for a world of hurt by then."

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

"Hey, leave him alone!" It was Toby, his concern for his friend overpowered his apprehension to get involved as Steve was ready to throw a punch..

"Yeah, leave him alone," said Darcy.

"Put him down, Steve," joined Mary.

Next thing they knew, the whole crowd of kids that had flocked to see Jim and Steve's spat started chanting "leave him alone" and "let him out" - referring to Jim and Eli respectively - in mob-based justice. Seeing that he was outnumbered, Jim could see the look of apprehension on Steve's face.

"_Palchuk_, what's going on here?" Shouted Coach Lawrence, having heard the shouting from before.

"Uh, nothing sir," said Steve, Jim back on his feet when he let him go.

"Why aren't you at practice?"

"I was helping Eli, here."

Without even looking, Steve quickly opened the locker, revealing the nerdy kid wedged awkwardly into it.

"Hey guys," said Eli.

"He was stuck."

"On the double, now!" Shouted the coach as he went back inside. Steve shut the locker door again before giving Jim a spiteful look.

"Friday, at noon. You and me," said Steve, making ominous hand motions mimicking a clock ticking as he walked away.

"I can't believe you just stood up to him," said Toby, his breathing labored from a rsh of adrenaline.

"It was going to happen sooner or later," said Jim as he opened the locker, Eli flopping out of it like a wet towel.

"Thanks," said Eli as he peeled his face off of the sidewalk.

"That was awesome. And I was all 'leave him alone' and everyone else said it too! I mean, you probably won't live past Friday, but it was awesome!"

_Thank you, Tobes. I value you're confidence in me._

* * *

**I mean, yeah, portraying an out-and-proud homophobe in this current decade isn't exactly as believable as it was ten years ago, what with the LGBT community becoming more and more accepted and media representation escalating, but these people do exist, especially when they use homophobic slurs not out of legitimate grievance against your sexuality, but just to push your buttons.**

**I went to middle school in Plano, TX, a very conservative place to go. You know how pop culture portrays High School less like a place of learning and more of like a faux-darwinist hell-hole where bullies thrive and dreams are crushed? For me that place was Anne Wilson Middle School. Because I was an introvert and one of the few boys at the school with 0 interest in sports, I was a favored target for assholes. Long after I moved to Dallas and went to an Art Magnet school away from that sort of thing, a friend of mine who still went to school in that district was told by my former bullies that they only did those things because 1) they thought that constantly belittling me and trying to take my things as they did so would somehow bring me out of my shell, and 2) because they thought I was gay.**

**I didn't know I was bisexual until I started community college, so I'm not entirely sure if I find them picking on me for assuming I gay more offensive then the fact that their assumption that I was gay was a good excuse.**


End file.
